{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "emailengine",
      "name": "EmailEngine",
      "vendor": "Postal Systems OÜ",
      "vendorUrl": "https://emailengine.app",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "mailbox-access",
      "summary": "EmailEngine is self-hosted software from Postal Systems that puts one REST API over Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP mailboxes, with webhooks for new mail and a beta MCP server. The owner runs it with Redis.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/emailengine",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/emailengine.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/emailengine.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/emailengine.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/postalsys/emailengine",
      "license": "Source available under the EmailEngine licence agreement, version 2.1 of 17 October 2023. Not open source. The PHP SDK is MIT",
      "transports": [
        "http"
      ],
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "emailengine-app"
        },
        {
          "registry": "oci",
          "name": "postalsys/emailengine"
        },
        {
          "registry": "packagist",
          "name": "postalsys/emailengine-php"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "api-key",
      "authNotes": "Access is granted by whoever runs the instance, with no vendor approval or app review. Every request takes a 64-character token as `Authorization: Bearer`, or in the `access_token` query parameter. Tokens are created in the admin interface, with the CLI (`emailengine tokens issue`) or through POST /v1/tokens, which only mints tokens bound to one account or narrowed by a permissions record. A token carries scopes (`*`, api, metrics, smtp, imap-proxy, mcp, mcp-manage), an optional account binding, allowlists of actions (read, write, send, destructive) and groups, an IP allowlist, an expiry and a rate limit. The beta MCP endpoint also has an optional built-in OAuth 2.1 server. Mailboxes are connected with the operator's own Google and Microsoft OAuth2 apps, service accounts or IMAP passwords, which stay inside the instance.",
      "pricing": "paid",
      "pricingNotes": "$1,450 or EUR 1,200 a year, excluding VAT, for unlimited mailboxes, instances and API calls, bought with an account at postalsys.com. Every install can start a 14-day trial with full functionality from its own dashboard, with no sign-up and no card, so an agent's owner can start without a contract. When the trial ends the instance stops processing accounts until a licence key is added. A perpetual licence is sold through sales with no public price. The owner also pays for the server and Redis (https://emailengine.app/, https://postalsys.com/plans, checked 2026-10-08).",
      "priceSummary": "$120.83 / mo",
      "where": "local",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 on emailengine.app, in the documentation or in the OpenAPI spec (checked 2026-10-08). Licences are bought by card at postalsys.com, with Stripe named as the payment processor.",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 2237,
        "npmWeekly": 388,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://learn.emailengine.app/",
      "llmsTxt": "https://emailengine.app/llms.txt",
      "openapi": "https://go.emailengine.app/swagger.json",
      "capabilities": [
        "mailbox.read",
        "mailbox.search",
        "mailbox.send",
        "mailbox.drafts",
        "mailbox.sync"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "self-hosted",
        "source-available",
        "paid",
        "trial",
        "api-key",
        "openapi",
        "llms-txt",
        "mcp",
        "webhooks",
        "imap",
        "gmail",
        "microsoft-365",
        "docker",
        "nodejs",
        "php"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-10-05",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 71.4,
        "grade": "BB",
        "agentReady": true,
        "rank": 106,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 629,
        "categoryRank": 3,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 80,
          "maintenance": 81,
          "payments": 40,
          "reliability": 79,
          "schema": 91,
          "security": 71,
          "transparency": 72
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": -3,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "27 September 2026. Version 2.81.2, a patch release, removed the `bounces` field from the message list, message details and messageNew payloads, listed under bug fixes with no earlier notice found in the changelog. The bounce still arrives through the messageBounce webhook, and the entry is documented, so the smallest deduction applies (https://github.com/postalsys/emailengine/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md)"
        ],
        "verdict": "A self-hosted REST API over Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP, with a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec and tokens that can be bound to one account, limited by action and group, and rate limited. It needs a server, Redis and a $1,450 yearly licence after a 14-day trial, and the MCP endpoint is a beta, off by default.",
        "bestFor": "A team that must keep mailbox access on its own infrastructure, has many mailboxes across Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP, and can run a server and Redis.",
        "strengths": [
          "Public OpenAPI 3.0 spec for version 2.82.2 with 82 operations, plus llms.txt on both sites and a capabilities.json manifest",
          "Tokens can be bound to one account, narrowed by action and group, limited by IP range, expiry and rate, and are stored only as SHA-256 hashes",
          "Idempotency-Key header on both send routes, and 429 responses carry Retry-After and a ttl field",
          "Ten tagged releases between 7 September and 5 October 2026, and the last eight test runs on master passed",
          "Written prompt-injection guidance, with MCP mail access set to none by default and message bodies returned as sanitised HTML"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "Not open source. Running it beyond the 14-day trial needs a subscription at $1,450 or EUR 1,200 a year",
          "The owner has to run a server and Redis. There is no hosted service, status page or SLA",
          "The MCP endpoint is labelled beta, is off by default, and its tool set may change between releases",
          "A token may also travel in the `access_token` query parameter, and API authentication can be switched off in settings",
          "Version 2.81.2, a patch release, removed the `bounces` field from message responses, and 2.82.0 removed the Document Store in a minor release",
          "One maintainer, no guaranteed support response time, and issues are disabled on the GitHub repository per the GitHub API"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Ask the operator for a token bound to one account with a permissions record. Mint more with POST /v1/tokens, which refuses instance-wide tokens without one",
          "Send the token in the Authorization header, not the `access_token` query parameter, so it stays out of proxy logs",
          "Page with `cursor` from `nextPageCursor`. `page` works only on IMAP accounts, and search covers one folder unless `path` is `\\All` on Gmail or Microsoft Graph",
          "Set an Idempotency-Key header on POST /v1/account/{account}/submit. A 2xx means queued, so follow the result through the outbox or the messageSent and messageFailed webhooks",
          "Treat message text as untrusted. For MCP, the operator must enable the endpoint first and mail access starts at none"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "local",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "BB",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 71.4
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 80,
          "maintenance": 81,
          "payments": 40,
          "reliability": 79,
          "schema": 91,
          "security": 71,
          "transparency": 68
        },
        "provenanceScore": 76
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "curl -LO https://go.emailengine.app/docker-compose.yml\ndocker compose up -d",
        "http": "curl \"https://emailengine.example.com/v1/account/user@example.com/messages?path=INBOX\u0026page=0\u0026pageSize=50\" \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN\"",
        "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http emailengine https://emailengine.example.com/mcp \\\n  --header \"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN\"",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "emailengine": {
              "headers": {
                "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
              },
              "type": "http",
              "url": "https://emailengine.example.com/mcp"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/mailbox.read",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/emailengine"
      },
      "area": "communication",
      "unitPrices": [
        {
          "item": "EmailEngine subscription, $1,450 billed yearly",
          "unit": "month",
          "usd": 120.83,
          "note": "unlimited mailboxes, instances and API calls, VAT excluded, 14-day trial without a card"
        }
      ],
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Postal Systems OÜ, Narva mnt 5, 10117 Tallinn, Estonia, registry code 14971894",
        "domain": "emailengine.app",
        "domainRegistered": "2021-07-28",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": null,
        "terms": "https://postalsys.com/tos",
        "privacy": "https://emailengine.app/privacy-policy",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "https://github.com/postalsys/emailengine/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md",
        "securityTxt": "valid",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The about page names Postal Systems OÜ at Narva mnt 5, 10117 Tallinn, with registry code 14971894 and VAT number EE102255902, and says the company is run by one person.",
          "RDAP for emailengine.app shows registration on 28 July 2021 through Namecheap.",
          "emailengine.app/.well-known/security.txt is PGP-signed, expires on 1 June 2027 and points to GitHub private advisories and SECURITY.md. postalsys.com has its own security.txt with no Expires field.",
          "The terms of service at postalsys.com/tos are dated 14 May 2020 and cover the subscription. The software licence is the EmailEngine licence agreement, version 2.1 of 17 October 2023, governed by Estonian law.",
          "The privacy policy at emailengine.app/privacy-policy has an effective date of 29 July 2026 and covers the website and the licence account, with Stripe named for payments.",
          "The API runs on the owner's instance, so there is no vendor endpoint and no status page."
        ],
        "score": 76
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/emailengine.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "emailengine",
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "github",
            "name": "postalsys/emailengine",
            "version": "v2.83.0",
            "released": "2026-10-08",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:10:38.546496352Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "emailengine-app",
            "version": "2.83.0",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:10:36.788101811Z"
          }
        ],
        "githubStars": 2238,
        "npmWeekly": 388,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://emailengine.app/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "valid",
          "expires": "2027-06-01T00:00:00.000Z",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:39:10.386155427Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/postalsys/emailengine/master/CHANGELOG.md",
            "kind": "changelog",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:39.774413238Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "92032edad8ba"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://emailengine.app/privacy-policy",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:06.567354333Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "bf031c33ef50"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://postalsys.com/tos",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:23:11.919567662Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "cb7a76a9cb6a"
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:39.774413238Z"
      }
    },
    "answer": "Gmail API scores 77.8 (BB) on agent readiness against EmailEngine's 71.4 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. EmailEngine leads on schema \u0026 documentation and payments \u0026 pricing.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "gmail-api",
      "name": "Gmail API",
      "vendor": "Google",
      "vendorUrl": "https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "mailbox-access",
      "summary": "Google's REST API for Gmail mailboxes. It searches and reads messages and threads, writes drafts, sends mail, manages labels and settings, and reports mailbox changes through history records and Cloud Pub/Sub push notifications. Access is by OAuth 2.0.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gmail-api",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gmail-api.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gmail-api.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gmail-api.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/googleapis/google-api-nodejs-client",
      "license": "Apache-2.0 (client libraries)",
      "transports": [
        "http",
        "streamable-http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "@googleapis/gmail"
        },
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "google-api-python-client"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "oauth",
      "authNotes": "OAuth 2.0 access token as a Bearer header, from a Google Cloud project with the Gmail API enabled and an OAuth consent screen. Self-serve for personal use, testing and apps internal to one Workspace organisation. A public app that requests any of the eight restricted scopes, which include `gmail.readonly` and `gmail.metadata`, needs Google's restricted-scope verification, and a CASA security assessment every 12 months if it reaches the data from or through a server. Workspace domains can use a service account with domain-wide delegation. The MCP server needs your own OAuth client ID and secret, the `gmail.readonly` and `gmail.compose` scopes, and Developer Preview Programme membership.",
      "pricing": "free",
      "pricingNotes": "All standard use is at no extra cost, and a free Google account and Cloud project are enough to start, with no card or contract. Limits are 1,200,000 quota units a minute per project, 6,000 a minute per user and a daily threshold of 80,000,000 units per project. Google says use above the daily threshold is planned to be charged to the Cloud billing account later in 2026, with details and at least 90 days' notice still to come (https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/reference/quota). A security assessment for restricted scopes is paid to a third-party assessor, at a cost Google's pages don't state.",
      "priceSummary": "Free",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the Gmail API guides, the quota page or the discovery document (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": 23,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 12262,
        "npmWeekly": 1091106,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/api/guides",
      "capabilities": [
        "mailbox.read",
        "mailbox.search",
        "mailbox.send",
        "mailbox.drafts",
        "mailbox.sync"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "official",
        "free-tier",
        "mcp",
        "webhooks",
        "oauth",
        "typescript",
        "python",
        "enterprise"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-23",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 77.8,
        "grade": "BB",
        "agentReady": true,
        "rank": 17,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 629,
        "categoryRank": 2,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 82,
          "maintenance": 85,
          "payments": 35,
          "reliability": 90,
          "schema": 82,
          "security": 81,
          "transparency": 82
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "Fourteen OAuth scopes separate labels, sending, metadata and read-only access, and the quota page gives every method a unit cost. Eight of the scopes are restricted, read-only and metadata among them, so a public app that reads mail needs Google's verification and an annual third-party security assessment. Gmail mailboxes only.",
        "bestFor": "An agent working in a Gmail or Google Workspace user's own mailbox, with search, threads, drafts, labels and incremental sync at no per-account fee.",
        "strengths": [
          "14 OAuth scopes, with `gmail.labels` non-sensitive, `gmail.send` sensitive and permanent delete reserved for the full `https://mail.google.com/` scope",
          "Quota published per method, 5 units for `messages.list`, 20 for `messages.get` and 100 for `messages.send`, against 6,000 units a minute per user",
          "`history.list` and Pub/Sub push notifications give incremental sync from a stored `historyId`",
          "`format=metadata`, `metadataHeaders`, `maxResults` and `fields` keep responses small",
          "No charge for standard use, up to 80,000,000 quota units a day per project"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "Eight restricted scopes, including `gmail.readonly` and `gmail.metadata`, need restricted-scope verification for a public app",
          "An app that stores or transmits restricted data on servers needs a security assessment by a Google-approved assessor every 12 months",
          "No idempotency key on `messages.send`, and the error guide says a 200 response doesn't confirm the mail was sent",
          "MCP server limited to the Developer Preview Programme, with no send tool",
          "Price for use above the daily quota not yet published"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Ask for the narrowest scope. `gmail.labels` is non-sensitive and `gmail.send` is sensitive, while every scope that reads mail is restricted",
          "List with `messages.list` and `q` in Gmail search syntax, then fetch each ID with `format=metadata` or `full`. List calls return IDs only",
          "Send by posting an RFC 2822 message, base64url encoded, in `raw`. Set `threadId` and matching reply headers to stay in a thread",
          "Store the `historyId` and call `history.list`. On a 404, run a full sync. Call `watch` again at least every 7 days",
          "Back off exponentially on 403 and 429 rate errors, and keep batches to 50 requests or fewer"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "BB",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 77.8
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 82,
          "maintenance": 85,
          "payments": 35,
          "reliability": 90,
          "schema": 82,
          "security": 81,
          "transparency": 69
        },
        "provenanceScore": 94
      },
      "connect": {
        "http": "curl \"https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1/users/me/messages?q=is:unread\u0026maxResults=5\" \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer $GOOGLE_ACCESS_TOKEN\"",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "gmail": {
              "oauth": {
                "clientId": "OAUTH_CLIENT_ID",
                "clientSecret": "OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET"
              },
              "serverUrl": "https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/mailbox.read",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/gmail-api"
      },
      "sameCompany": [
        "gemini-api",
        "gemini-embedding",
        "vertex-ai-tuning",
        "google-model-armor",
        "google-imagen",
        "google-veo",
        "google-lyria",
        "google-speech-to-text",
        "google-adk",
        "google-secret-manager",
        "google-weather-api",
        "chrome-devtools-mcp",
        "google-maps-platform",
        "google-cloud-translation",
        "google-calendar-api",
        "google-drive-api",
        "gemini-cli",
        "google-ads-api",
        "google-sheets-api"
      ],
      "area": "communication",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Google LLC",
        "domain": "google.com",
        "domainRegistered": "1997-09-15",
        "domainNote": "The endpoint is on gmail.googleapis.com, Google's API domain. google.com was registered in 1997.",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://developers.google.com/terms",
        "privacy": "https://policies.google.com/privacy",
        "statusPage": "https://www.google.com/appsstatus/dashboard/",
        "changelog": "https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/release-notes",
        "securityTxt": "valid",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The Google APIs Terms of Service (last modified 9 November 2021) name Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View.",
          "RDAP for google.com gives a registration date of 1997-09-15.",
          "www.google.com/.well-known/security.txt expires on 1 April 2030 and lists a contact, an encryption key and the vulnerability reward policy.",
          "The quota and scopes pages were last updated on 10 September 2026, the MCP setup guide on 18 September and the MCP reference on 21 July.",
          "Google publishes a discovery document for the API, not an OpenAPI spec.",
          "The Workspace status dashboard tracks the Gmail product, not the API on its own."
        ],
        "score": 94
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gmail-api.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "gmail-api",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:47.711154277Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 404,
          "lastMs": 183,
          "authRequired": false,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 42,
          "p95ms24h": 121,
          "samples24h": 42,
          "samples30d": 42,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-10-08",
              "probes": 42,
              "ok": 42
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://www.google.com/appsstatus/dashboard",
          "indicator": "unknown",
          "summary": "no machine-readable status found",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T17:50:42.964370842Z"
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "github",
            "name": "googleapis/google-api-nodejs-client",
            "version": "agentidentity-v3.2.0",
            "released": "2026-10-07",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:13:22.81620133Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "@googleapis/gmail",
            "version": "22.0.1",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:13:19.417774829Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "pypi",
            "name": "google-api-python-client",
            "version": "2.201.0",
            "released": "2026-09-30",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:13:22.705637846Z"
          }
        ],
        "githubStars": 12263,
        "npmWeekly": 1091106,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://google.com/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "valid",
          "expires": "2030-04-01T00:00:00z",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:39.75078566Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/release-notes",
            "kind": "changelog",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:17:53.385163156Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "4656378123eb"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://developers.google.com/terms",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:17:49.55137795Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "2eb11136bf24"
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:47.711154277Z"
      }
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "HTTP API",
        "b": "HTTP API",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "Postal Systems OÜ",
        "b": "Google",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "no (local only)",
        "b": "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "HTTP",
        "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "API key",
        "b": "OAuth",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Paid",
        "b": "Free",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "Source available under the EmailEngine licence agreement, version 2.1 of 17 October 2023. Not open source. The PHP SDK is MIT",
        "b": "Apache-2.0 (client libraries)",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "none",
        "b": "23",
        "name": "Tools exposed"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-10-05",
        "b": "2026-09-23",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "no date given",
        "b": "2021-11-09",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "no date given",
        "b": "2026-10-01",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Customer content may train models"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Terms restrict automated access"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
      },
      {
        "a": "2.2k stars, 388 npm/wk",
        "b": "12k stars, 1.1M npm/wk",
        "name": "Popularity"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "Gmail API scores 77.8 (BB) on agent readiness against EmailEngine's 71.4 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. EmailEngine leads on schema \u0026 documentation and payments \u0026 pricing.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, EmailEngine or Gmail API?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "EmailEngine needs an API key. Gmail API uses an OAuth sign-in.",
        "question": "Do EmailEngine and Gmail API need an API key?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for EmailEngine. Gmail API has a hosted endpoint at https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1.",
        "question": "Can an agent call EmailEngine and Gmail API without installing anything?"
      }
    ],
    "goodFor": [
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Schema \u0026 documentation, 91 against 82",
          "Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 35"
        ],
        "also": null,
        "goodFor": "A team that must keep mailbox access on its own infrastructure, has many mailboxes across Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP, and can run a server and Redis.",
        "slug": "emailengine",
        "watchFor": "Not open source. Running it beyond the 14-day trial needs a subscription at $1,450 or EUR 1,200 a year"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Reliability, 90 against 79",
          "Security \u0026 auth, 81 against 71",
          "Transparency \u0026 trust, 82 against 72"
        ],
        "also": [
          "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install",
          "No incidents deducted, where EmailEngine loses 3 points for them"
        ],
        "goodFor": "An agent working in a Gmail or Google Workspace user's own mailbox, with search, threads, drafts, labels and incremental sync at no per-account fee.",
        "slug": "gmail-api",
        "watchFor": "Eight restricted scopes, including `gmail.readonly` and `gmail.metadata`, need restricted-scope verification for a public app"
      }
    ],
    "job": {
      "capability": "mailbox.read",
      "name": "Mailbox read"
    },
    "others": [
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-nylas-email.json",
        "title": "EmailEngine vs Nylas Email API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-nylas-email"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-outlook-mail-graph.json",
        "title": "EmailEngine vs Outlook Mail (Microsoft Graph)",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-outlook-mail-graph"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-unipile.json",
        "title": "EmailEngine vs Unipile",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-unipile"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-nylas-email.json",
        "title": "Gmail API vs Nylas Email API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-nylas-email"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-outlook-mail-graph.json",
        "title": "Gmail API vs Outlook Mail (Microsoft Graph)",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-outlook-mail-graph"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-unipile.json",
        "title": "Gmail API vs Unipile",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-unipile"
      }
    ],
    "scores": [
      {
        "by": 11,
        "edge": "gmail-api",
        "emailengine": 79,
        "gmail-api": 90,
        "key": "reliability",
        "name": "Reliability",
        "weight": 16
      },
      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 9,
        "edge": "emailengine",
        "emailengine": 91,
        "gmail-api": 82,
        "key": "schema",
        "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation",
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
        "by": 2,
        "edge": "gmail-api",
        "emailengine": 80,
        "gmail-api": 82,
        "key": "ergonomics",
        "name": "Agent ergonomics",
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
        "by": 10,
        "edge": "gmail-api",
        "emailengine": 71,
        "gmail-api": 81,
        "key": "security",
        "name": "Security \u0026 auth",
        "weight": 14
      },
      {
        "by": 5,
        "edge": "emailengine",
        "emailengine": 40,
        "gmail-api": 35,
        "key": "payments",
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "key": "tasks",
        "name": "Task success",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 4,
        "edge": "gmail-api",
        "emailengine": 81,
        "gmail-api": 85,
        "key": "maintenance",
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "weight": 7
      },
      {
        "by": 10,
        "edge": "gmail-api",
        "emailengine": 72,
        "gmail-api": 82,
        "key": "transparency",
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "weight": 7
      }
    ],
    "summary": "Gmail API scores 77.8 (BB) on agent readiness against EmailEngine's 71.4 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. EmailEngine leads on schema \u0026 documentation and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do mailbox read.",
    "verdicts": {
      "emailengine": "A self-hosted REST API over Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP, with a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec and tokens that can be bound to one account, limited by action and group, and rate limited. It needs a server, Redis and a $1,450 yearly licence after a 14-day trial, and the MCP endpoint is a beta, off by default.",
      "gmail-api": "Fourteen OAuth scopes separate labels, sending, metadata and read-only access, and the quota page gives every method a unit cost. Eight of the scopes are restricted, read-only and metadata among them, so a public app that reads mail needs Google's verification and an annual third-party security assessment. Gmail mailboxes only."
    }
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  "links": {
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  "markdown": "Gmail API scores 77.8 (BB) on agent readiness against EmailEngine's 71.4 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. EmailEngine leads on schema \u0026 documentation and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do mailbox read.\n\n- EmailEngine: grade BB, 71.4/100, rank #106 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/emailengine.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/emailengine.json\n- Gmail API: grade BB, 77.8/100, rank #17 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gmail-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gmail-api.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### EmailEngine (BB)\n\nGood for: A team that must keep mailbox access on its own infrastructure, has many mailboxes across Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP, and can run a server and Redis.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 91 against 82\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 35\n\nWatch for: Not open source. Running it beyond the 14-day trial needs a subscription at $1,450 or EUR 1,200 a year\n\n### Gmail API (BB)\n\nGood for: An agent working in a Gmail or Google Workspace user's own mailbox, with search, threads, drafts, labels and incremental sync at no per-account fee.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 90 against 79\n- Security \u0026 auth, 81 against 71\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 82 against 72\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n- No incidents deducted, where EmailEngine loses 3 points for them\n\nWatch for: Eight restricted scopes, including `gmail.readonly` and `gmail.metadata`, need restricted-scope verification for a public app\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | EmailEngine | Gmail API | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 79 | 90 | Gmail API +11 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 91 | 82 | EmailEngine +9 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 82 | Gmail API +2 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 71 | 81 | Gmail API +10 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 35 | EmailEngine +5 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 85 | Gmail API +4 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 72 | 82 | Gmail API +10 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **71.4 · BB** | **77.8 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | EmailEngine | Gmail API |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Postal Systems OÜ | Google |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth |\n| Pricing | Paid | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Source available under the EmailEngine licence agreement, version 2.1 of 17 October 2023. Not open source. The PHP SDK is MIT | Apache-2.0 (client libraries) |\n| Tools exposed | none | 23 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-05 | 2026-09-23 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | 2021-11-09 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2026-10-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 2.2k stars, 388 npm/wk | 12k stars, 1.1M npm/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**EmailEngine.** A self-hosted REST API over Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP, with a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec and tokens that can be bound to one account, limited by action and group, and rate limited. It needs a server, Redis and a $1,450 yearly licence after a 14-day trial, and the MCP endpoint is a beta, off by default.\n\n**Gmail API.** Fourteen OAuth scopes separate labels, sending, metadata and read-only access, and the quota page gives every method a unit cost. Eight of the scopes are restricted, read-only and metadata among them, so a public app that reads mail needs Google's verification and an annual third-party security assessment. Gmail mailboxes only.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### EmailEngine\n\n1. Ask the operator for a token bound to one account with a permissions record. Mint more with POST /v1/tokens, which refuses instance-wide tokens without one\n2. Send the token in the Authorization header, not the `access_token` query parameter, so it stays out of proxy logs\n3. Page with `cursor` from `nextPageCursor`. `page` works only on IMAP accounts, and search covers one folder unless `path` is `\\All` on Gmail or Microsoft Graph\n4. Set an Idempotency-Key header on POST /v1/account/{account}/submit. A 2xx means queued, so follow the result through the outbox or the messageSent and messageFailed webhooks\n5. Treat message text as untrusted. For MCP, the operator must enable the endpoint first and mail access starts at none\n\n### Gmail API\n\n1. Ask for the narrowest scope. `gmail.labels` is non-sensitive and `gmail.send` is sensitive, while every scope that reads mail is restricted\n2. List with `messages.list` and `q` in Gmail search syntax, then fetch each ID with `format=metadata` or `full`. List calls return IDs only\n3. Send by posting an RFC 2822 message, base64url encoded, in `raw`. Set `threadId` and matching reply headers to stay in a thread\n4. Store the `historyId` and call `history.list`. On a 404, run a full sync. Call `watch` again at least every 7 days\n5. Back off exponentially on 403 and 429 rate errors, and keep batches to 50 requests or fewer\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, EmailEngine or Gmail API?\n\nGmail API scores 77.8 (BB) on agent readiness against EmailEngine's 71.4 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. EmailEngine leads on schema \u0026 documentation and payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Do EmailEngine and Gmail API need an API key?\n\nEmailEngine needs an API key. Gmail API uses an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call EmailEngine and Gmail API without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for EmailEngine. Gmail API has a hosted endpoint at https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-gmail-api.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-gmail-api.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"emailengine\", \"b\": \"gmail-api\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare emailengine gmail-api`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/emailengine.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gmail-api.json\n\n## Other comparisons with EmailEngine or Gmail API\n\n- [EmailEngine vs Nylas Email API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-nylas-email.md)\n- [EmailEngine vs Outlook Mail (Microsoft Graph)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-outlook-mail-graph.md)\n- [EmailEngine vs Unipile](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emailengine-vs-unipile.md)\n- [Gmail API vs Nylas Email API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-nylas-email.md)\n- [Gmail API vs Outlook Mail (Microsoft Graph)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-outlook-mail-graph.md)\n- [Gmail API vs Unipile](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gmail-api-vs-unipile.md)\n",
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    "description": "Gmail API scores 77.8 (BB) on agent readiness against EmailEngine's 71.4 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. EmailEngine leads on schema \u0026 documentation and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do mailbox read. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.",
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    "title": "EmailEngine vs Gmail API for AI agents, BB 71.4 vs BB 77.8",
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